Ablakwa signs online petition to bar Akufo-Addo’s expensive foreign travels

• The North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has joined an online petition to stop President Akufo-Addo from hiring luxury jets for international travels

•The petition, which was set up in less than 24 hours, has garnered about 1,113 signatures

•Akufo-Addo has been accused of hiring a jet at the staggering cost of approximately £15,000 per hour for his foreign travels

Some aggrieved Ghanaians have started an online petition to stop President Akufo-Addo’s from hiring luxury jets for international travels.

Latest to join the call on Nana Akufo-Addo to put to good use the Ghana Air Force Falcon 900EX jet for his foreign travels rather than expensive jets is the North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

The petition, which was set up in less than 24 hours, has garnered about 1,113 signatures.

Mr Ablakwa has accused President Akufo-Addo of ostentatious spending even as the country goes through economic hardship.

According to him, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo spent £345,000, i.e. ¢2,828,432.80 at the current exchange rate in flight cost during his nine-day visit to France, Belgium, South Africa, and back to the country.

“Per Flightradar24, the G-KELT aircraft left Accra with the President to Paris on May 16, a 6 and half hour duration. Airlifted the President from Paris to Johannesburg for 11 hours on May 23.

“Then Johannesburg to Accra on May 25, was a five and half hour flight. This gives us accumulated flight travel of 23 hours, so at £15,000 an hour, it thus cost us a colossal £345,000. At the current exchange, that is a staggering ¢2,828,432.80,” he revealed.

The amount has gotten the citizenry startled as the country’s economy has become frail to even support the livelihoods of people after the devastating effects of the COVID-19.

Meanwhile, the Defence Minister, Dominic Nitiwul, is yet to appear before Parliament to answer an urgent question on the government’s extravagant foreign travels.